The Socceroos have settled in World Cup camp in Kazan and are looking to cause an upset in their opener against France on Saturday.

Milligan returned to Melbourne Victory for a second stint last year after a move to England fell through due to FIFA World rankings and issues with visas.

The 32-year-old stuck out half a season in the A-League before signing for Al Ahli, where he played eight games.

He admitted he hadn't wanted to return to the A-League after the Confederations Cup.

“I was very disappointed when my move to England was put to bed,” Milligan said.

“I felt like that was an ending for me. I was pushed very hard to get that opportunity, and when that fell through, I didn’t know what was going to be ahead of me.

“Melbourne threw me a bit of a lifeline at that time because we waited a long time to see if the rankings would change.

“I was very appreciative to Kevin (Muscat) and Melbourne in giving me that chance. My goal when I left Victory after the winning the (A-League) title a few years back was to finish my career overseas, whether that’d be in Asia or England.

“When the chance came to move to Saudi, it was a deal for both myself and the club. Going over in January, playing so many games in the Champions League as well with them and to go through the quarters was a good experience for me and I really enjoyed it.”

Milligan was involved in the last three World Cups, however did not actually play until Brazil 2014, where he injured his hamstring in the opening 3-1 loss to Chile.

Despite the lack of game time on the biggest stage, Milligan was still holding his head up high for his services to Australia.

“It’s not so much unfinished business, Brazil was unfortunate,” he said.

“The fact that I’m still here, pushing, helping, I feel extremely proud. I’ve been lucky enough to play 71 games for Australia, anything that happens now, whether it’s just a friendly or World Cup, it’s a bonus.

“From the beginning, it hasn’t changed that much, I’ve had to continuously fight to be in the team.

“Those first two World Cups were difficult because there weren’t a great deal of young players getting chances in the early days. It’s been different in the past few years, especially when Ange (Postecoglou) came in, he changed the perception of the young boys.

“It hasn’t changed a great deal and I think it’s the reason why I’m still here.”